New Services + Value of Preproduction

Check it out. We're only doing REAL reels on film over here and will be offering some new high-end motion picture video add-ons coming soon... 🤫 The launch date was supposed to be sooner, but my short film (pictured above) that I filmed last month got accepted into some fantastic film festivals for the summer, and through the fall, so I pushed the launch date back a bit—lots of fun stuff, that no one is doing/offering is on the horizon, stay tuned.

Since I've been doing a mix of everything lately with film (video), photography, and even mixed media projects, I've been reminded just how important it is to have a system for planning your shoots.

Preproduction is often associated with movie sets or video shoots but is also synonymous with photography. As working professional photographers know, when people book us through referrals or our websites, you're in the dark about many small details until the day of the shoot since that's the first time you meet. That process can be fun but not optimal, so I make it a point for whoever is shooting with me that I'm doing preproduction of some kind to ensure I'm providing the highest value I can for the day we're in the studio together. While respecting people's time, the only thing I request from anyone new I'm working with is three current non-professional pictures before a shoot; the reason is that it's easier to visualize the concepts we discuss before the shoot. For example, I need to know the shade of skin tone, hair color, etc., because it will dictate which film stock and techniques I'll employ. Take skin tone, for example. Someone with beautiful porcelain skin will have a different combination of film stock, diffusion, approach, and lighting than someone with a beautiful brown skin tone, which will give me other options to explore when building your shoot. And once we start talking about concepts and colors, this information becomes even more necessary.

Look at this enormous modifier I had custom-made for a shoot recently. Is this doing too much? Probably, but I have no regrets since it helped me do my job to my most total capabilities for that day.

The same rules apply even if you want to create Black & White portrait images. I only like certain B&W film stocks with natural light, while others I like how it looks when I light it flat with a studio strobe, etc... I even take it one step further and sometimes pair a particular camera for a specific look only that camera can produce because the glass in the 60-year-old lens has unique characteristics when light hits it in a certain way. Everything is customized to make YOUR images come out the best they can; take advantage by communicating effectively.

Takeaways: Creating a good photograph is always much more than just snapping a picture. Attention to detail and the proper photoshoot preparation will separate you from the pack for those in front and behind the camera.

❤️‍🔥

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All I ever wanted really, and continue to want out of life, is to give 100 percent to whatever I'm doing and to be committed to whatever I'm doing and then let the results speak for themselves. Also to never take myself or people for granted and always be thankful and grateful to the people who helped me. - Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Tags: Photographers near me, Professional photographer, Portrait Photographer, Fashion Photographer Denver